A Sweet Dream or A Beautiful Nightmare
by colorguardnikki
Summary: Courtney is 16 and required to marry soon, she has Justin, the man of her dreams, ready for marriage but what happens when she meets Duncan, the man of her desires? Will their inseparable attraction pull through or will tradition beat all?


**Hey people! This is a new story I'm writing, I hope you like it! It is an AU, set not now but earlier. Not sure about the exact timeframe but post 1850's. So if you can't tell the main characters are Courtney, Justin and Duncan. Gwyneth (Gwen) might play a bigger role later one I'm not sure… Well please enjoy, reviews are loved and I'll respond to every review. Thanks for reading!**

March 3rd. My birthday, a supposed day of joy and celebration. It marks my 16th year, it marks the year I am to be betrothed. I have nothing against the number 16-no to me it is just the same as 15, 14 and such. But to my parents it shows a certain maturity, the time where they get to give their daughter away to a "better " life, they give me away for honor. And to honor me, a masquerade ball was put in place. 7pm sharp, according to the spidery script of the invitation, I had memorized it. For it was the last party I was to have before I was engaged. I sighed and pushed my brown hair behind my ear. I looked in the mirror that displayed my reflection. Mocha skin, freckles and long brunette hair, onyx eye and a cinnamon brown lips. The girl in the mirror was decent look, I will admit, not drop dead stunning, but she did have a certain air to her. That poor girl, forced to marry at such a young age. I offered my condolences to the girl staring back at me with a reluctant smile.

A servant came in, interrupting my interaction with the girl in the mirror, she was new, she had short black hair. I believe her name was Gwyneth. As I mentioned before she was new so we didn't have much interaction, but with the little we did, I believe I liked her. A truly nice girl, although I saw the way some of the other male servants looked at her, she probably will have trouble with boys. Gwyneth presented me a dress, it was a royal purple and was accented with lace. It was beautiful, probably only to be bested by my wedding dress. She also brought in a mask. The mask was carefully sculpted, it had intricate swirls and detailed angles the accentuated the beauty of the mask. We exchanged smiles and I thanked Gwyneth, then she left the room. It was time to get ready. I took a deep breath and spared a look to the girl in the mirror, she looked anxious.

_7pm_

I slowly descended down the staircase to party below. I gripped the cool, sturdy marble handrail as I took each step. I was scared of falling, and not just in one sense. Once I had finally reached the bottom I scanned the crowd. I spotted my soon to be husband smiling at me. He had the deepest blue eyes that girls got lost in, skin just as silky, smooth and colored as the richest caramel and midnight black hair that begged to be touched. Many people would say I'm lucky to have such a handsome prince. And I am lucky, I am totally content with my prince, he is the man of many people's- I mean my dreams. Content, complacent, those are words that describe my scenario, I wished them to be more passionate, but I should not complain. He took my hand and brushed his soft lips against my delicate hand. He led me down to the ballroom and we danced. He was so proper and formal, a good dancer. We danced for hours, step by step, twirling and repeat. The shiny granite tile supporting us and getting subtly worn down as our feet treaded across it. Eventually I started getting tired; I excused myself and left to the bathroom. I passed by many masked faces, many bright ball gowns and many fancily tailored suits. Each face or mask blurred as I made my way to the bathroom. After what seemed like a journey through endless masks and formal wear I made it to the restroom- a place of sanity and privacy.

When I entered through the marble archway I immediately went to the sinks. I ripped off my mask and placed it away from the sink. I turned on the water and heard the rush of the water. I cupped my hands and caught some of the water in its descent and brought it to my face. I savored in the refreshing feel of the chilled moisture on my hot skin. I looked up and caught sight of the girl in the mirror. She too had water droplets spread across her face. I scrutinized her, looking at every little detail. I noticed little differences, her skin didn't glow, her hair didn't gleam. Finally her eyes didn't hold the fire that I believed mine had-and it didn't have anything to do with the water that she just indulged in. I couldn't look at the girl anymore, so I turned my attention to the aquarium that was positioned near the entrance of the bathroom. Through the aquarium the male lavatory resides, but only the sink area is visible. I admired the aquarium, the cool turquoise color, the brightly colored fish and the textures of the different sea plants. They must have put new fish in the aquarium, for there weren't as vibrant and multi-colored fish last time. I traced the patterns of the fish as they swam about the tank. The patterns were mesmerizing; less the patterns themselves, but more the way the fish swam. The fins and tail hypnotically gliding back and forth, back and forth. Something then snapped me out of the trance, a boy on the other side of glass. A boy wearing a simple black mask. But the mask still revealed hi teal eyes and his cocky smirk.


End file.
